What I'm Actually Doing to Stay Active During a High-Risk Triplet Pregnancy
I talk to my patients every day about modifying, adapting, and finding a way to keep moving through injury, life changes, and setbacks. So it only feels right to be honest about how I'm doing that myself right now — pregnant with triplets, in a pregnancy that's considered high-risk, and very much not doing the workouts I was doing a year ago.
Here's what that actually looks like.
Walks are doing a lot of heavy lifting right now
Running has become less comfortable as this pregnancy has progressed, so I've leaned hard into walking. Some days that's a walk instead of a run. Other days it's a walk/run combo, where I jog what feels good and walk the rest. There's no formula to it — it's just checking in with my body that day and letting it lead.
This isn't a consolation prize. Walking is real activity with real benefits, and I'd tell any patient the same thing: movement doesn't have to look like your old workout to count.
Shorter workouts beat no workout, every time
I used to think in terms of an hour-plus training session. These days, a 15-20 minute workout is a win, and I've had to actively rewire my brain to see it that way instead of thinking "well, that's barely worth doing." It's absolutely worth doing. Something is always going to beat nothing, and consistency in small doses adds up in a way that occasional big efforts don't.
If you're pregnant, postpartum, injured, or just in a season where your old routine doesn't fit anymore, this is the mindset shift I'd want you to take from this post: shrink the workout before you cut it entirely.
Breathing, core, and hip mobility while watching soccer
Some of my most consistent "workouts" lately happen on the couch, watching soccer games with Jake. Diaphragmatic breathing work, gentle core activation, hip mobility drills — the kind of stuff that doesn't look impressive but matters enormously, especially in pregnancy. It's low-output, high-value, and it fits into a life that doesn't always have room for a dedicated gym session, especially at night when I'm winding down.
As a PT, this is exactly the kind of work I want my patients doing more of anyway — it's just usually the first thing to get skipped when time is short.
What the research actually says
There's been a real shift in the research on this, and it lines up with how I'm trying to approach my own pregnancy:
Regular, moderate activity during pregnancy is linked to lower risk of gestational diabetes, hypertension, excessive weight gain, and cesarean delivery, along with better sleep, mood, and energy.
A large Kaiser Permanente study published in November 2025, following nearly 59,000 pregnancies, found that women who maintained higher activity levels through pregnancy were more likely to return to a healthy postpartum weight.
Research summarized by National Geographic in 2026 found that women who stayed active for more than an hour at a time even in the third trimester had reduced odds of delivery complications, including C-section — a real departure from the old "take it easy" narrative.
The CDC's current guidance (updated December 2025) confirms moderate-intensity activity is safe for healthy pregnant women and can help reduce postpartum depression symptoms in the year after delivery.
The old heart-rate-ceiling rule of thumb is outdated too. Current guidance focuses less on a specific number and more on how you're feeling — the "talk test" (can you hold a conversation while you move?) is a much more useful guide than any fixed number ever was.
None of this means every pregnant woman should be pushing hard. Every pregnancy is different, mine included, which is exactly why I'm modifying as much as I am. But it does mean "just rest" is outdated advice for most healthy pregnancies, and there's a lot of room between doing nothing and doing what you used to do.
The bigger picture
This is the same message I give patients recovering from an injury: the goal isn't to force your body back into what it used to do. It's to find what you can do today, do that consistently, and let it evolve as you're able. Right now, for me, that's walks, short workouts, and breathing and mobility work on the couch. In a few months it'll look different again — and that's exactly how it should work.
If you're navigating a season where your activity has to look different than it used to — pregnancy, recovery, or otherwise — I'd love to hear how you're adapting. And if you want help figuring out what's safe and doable for your specific situation, that's exactly what I'm here for.
Let's figure out your version of this
Whether you're pregnant, postpartum, or just working around an injury, you don't have to guess at what's safe or throw in the towel because your old routine doesn't fit anymore. Reach out to schedule a visit at Ross Rehab and Performance — in person or through my online programming app — and let's build a plan that actually fits where your body is right now.
📍 Ross Rehab and Performance, Davidson, NC 👉 Book a FREE discovery call today. https://rossrehabandperformance.janeapp.com/#staff_member/1